Hansi Flick has named his Barcelona squad for Monday's La Liga match against Rayo Vallecano at Camp Nou. The German coach selected 22 players for a clash against a Rayo side sitting 16th in the table with just one point from their opening two games.
Rayo Vallecano travel to Barcelona with a record of zero wins, one draw, and one loss, having scored two goals and conceded three for a -1 goal difference. The Vallecas-based team is eight points behind league leaders Real Madrid and already has its next home fixture against Racing Santander on September 5th in sight.
Who is in Flick's squad?
Flick's squad includes three goalkeepers: Joan García, Wojciech Szczesny, and Eder Aller. In defense, the manager has nine options: João Cancelo, Alejandro Balde, Pau Cubarsí, Xavi Espart, Andreas Christensen, Gerard Martín, Jules Kounde, and Eric García. The midfield consists of six players: Fermín López, Pedri, Rodri, Dani Olmo, Marc Bernal, and Brian Fariñas. For the attack, Flick has called up five forwards: Lamine Yamal, Raphinha, Karim Adeyemi, Anthony Gordon, and Hamza Abdelkarim.
The German manager explained the absences. "Flick is able to call up the same squad that faced Athletic which means there are no fresh injury concerns, but there are still some absences: Marc Casadó once again is left out as he finalizes his exit from the club, while Gavi (knee), Frenkie de Jong (knee) and Roony Bardghji (knee) miss out through injury," said Hansi Flick.
How will Barcelona line up?
The predicted Barcelona starting XI is expected to feature Joan García in goal. The defense could be formed by Eric García, Pau Cubarsí, Andreas Christensen, and Xavi Espart. In midfield, Fermín López and Marc Bernal would accompany Pedri. The attacking trident would be completed by Lamine Yamal, Raphinha, and Anthony Gordon. This lineup reflects the forced absences and aims to solidify the team against a Rayo side desperate for points.
Who is missing for Rayo Vallecano?
While Barcelona deals with its own injury woes, Rayo Vallecano also arrives with key players sidelined. Augusto Batalla, Luiz Felipe, and Isi Palazón are currently sidelined, according to verified club data. These absences present an additional challenge for the visiting team as they search for their first win of the season in a venue as daunting as Camp Nou. Fans can track the squad's status on our injuries page.
What is the La Liga context?
The match is part of La Liga's third matchday. Rayo Vallecano, with their recent form of a loss and a draw (DL), urgently needs points to move away from the relegation places. Their next home opponent, Racing Santander, sits in ninth place. The current standings, which can be viewed on our standings page, show a difficult start for the Vallecas team. Barcelona, meanwhile, wants to maintain its pace near the top of the table.
The match kicks off at 9:30 PM local time (CET) in Barcelona. For fans in the UK and Nigeria, kickoff is at 8:30 PM (BST/WAT). In the United States, the game starts at 3:30 PM Eastern Time (ET) and 12:30 PM Pacific Time (PT). In India, the match begins at 1:00 AM on Tuesday (IST). Following this clash, Rayo Vallecano will turn its focus to preparing for the game against Racing Santander, a key fixture in their fixtures schedule to try and turn their season around.
